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Post by plasticpenguin on Jan 5, 2018 5:16:45 GMT
"See ya, muscles."
Watched this episode last night (Thursday) and thought it quite amusing. Have to say, the parts that were weak was the proposed arranged marriages - and the daughter in love with dopey Kev. I felt that could have been done better.
The less than truthful shop owner is familiar, and should've been used to a greater extent.
Overall, take away the analysis and it was an enjoyable watch.
7/10
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Post by billyfarmer on Jan 5, 2018 18:53:39 GMT
A very good episode, which I think I once had on VHS Video, Graham Stark, was good in a small role.
Whenever I see Stanley Lebor (who played Wilson, in The Bengal Tiger), I think of Howard (character played by Stanley Lebor, in the 1980's Sitcom Ever Decreasing Circles).
The car that Kev (Mike Grady), drove, was like something, you would buy from Arthur Daley.
Good locations in this episode, especially the market stalls and the newsagents, there were some Comics, on the shelves (in the newsagents).
Written below, some classic dialogue from The Bengal Tiger.
Indira - I love Kev, I think Kev's wonderful.
Terry - Well yeah, I mean er, I can see the attraction.
Indira - He dances just like John Travolta.
Terry - Shame he don't look like him.
Indira - He's beautiful.
Mike Grady (Kev) and Spencer Banks (who played Keith in The Bengal Tiger), both appeared in the early 1970's children's Drama series Tightrope (1972).
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Post by thewoodster on Jan 24, 2018 23:06:44 GMT
Great episode, got to be in my top 3 Waterman episodes.
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Post by I used to think I was a parrot on Sept 3, 2018 21:44:51 GMT
Arthur uses artificial sweeteners in his tea when he is the café with Terry. I thought this was out of character, but then he has a slimline tonic in his VAT.
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Post by barrythebook on Sept 11, 2018 18:24:45 GMT
The only unconvincing scene in this episode for me is where Arthur thinks Kev is doing Indira in with a hammer. The whole hammering just looks unnatural. I agree, Kevs actions looked very staged but the main reason I bumped this is because on watching this episode today, I suddenly thought how out of order Arthur was by legging it to get help rather than take some action himself when he thought Indira was being battered. As cowardly as he was, he could at least have shouted at Kev or even thrown something through the window to distract him and let him know he'd been seen before he went for help. |
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ned
One Of Your Own
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Post by ned on Jan 14, 2019 16:22:44 GMT
There's some very strange sound on this episode - when Arthur visits Terry with the mini-fridges, he sounds like he's on helium!
Terry's description of Kev is priceless:
T - 'QPR supporter'
A - 'Come on, there must be a bit more to him than that'
T - 'Not a lot'
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Post by chopper on Jan 14, 2019 18:41:15 GMT
Yeah, I love that assessment of him! Q P R supporter!
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Post by daz on Aug 12, 2019 19:22:54 GMT
The ubiquitous extra 'Eric Kent' can also be seen in the cafe too as is another extra that looks a lot like but is definitely not Meic 'Taff Jones' Povey. Just finished watching this and spotted Meic Povey in it as an extra, but you have confirmed he was not. A good funny episode this.
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Post by harryshand on Jun 4, 2020 15:00:57 GMT
First of todays triple bill. Good solid 7/10. Saeed Jaffrey great as Mr Muckerjee.
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Post by coyote on Jul 24, 2020 0:07:45 GMT
Don't think I'd ever seen this one before, enjoyed it and as others have said it does have a 70s vibe with the cars and generally decayed locations. Bit of a strange mix of cultural views from all sides, but I guess it was 1979 and at least the good guys were against forced arranged marriages for money
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Post by jjmolloy on Jul 24, 2020 0:43:33 GMT
Don't think I'd ever seen this one before, enjoyed it and as others have said it does have a 70s vibe with the cars and generally decayed locations. Bit of a strange mix of cultural views from all sides, but I guess it was 1979 and at least the good guys were against forced arranged marriages for money Yep, good points, different days indeed. |
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c79
On Wages
Posts: 72
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Post by c79 on Nov 3, 2020 10:17:03 GMT
A mixed bag of an episode, but for its time, quite enlightened. Only just realised that Stanley Lebor, who plays Wilson, was in Ever Decreasing Circles as Howard. Versatile!
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Post by jjmolloy on Nov 3, 2020 10:41:02 GMT
A mixed bag of an episode, but for its time, quite enlightened. Only just realised that Stanley Lebor, who plays Wilson, was in Ever Decreasing Circles as Howard. Versatile! Yes, quite a character change! |
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Post by joshmel on Nov 3, 2020 11:29:10 GMT
Thought this was a brilliant episode. A good subject to use as the theme forced marriage which is still prevalent in some of today’s society. Strong supporting roles by Mr muckerjee and the attractive Indria. It seems that she lives in the US now the actress that played her Shireen Anwar and her own daughter has achieved success in the acting world. Great exchanges between Arthur and Terry and by this episode it looks like a rapport has been built up between the two of them in terms of the humorous dialogue.
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Post by joshmel on Nov 3, 2020 11:43:26 GMT
This is Gabrielle Anwar daughter of Shirely Anwar who is now an accomplished actress in her own right having appeared in numerous American tv programmes and dramas.  |
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Post by westminster on Nov 3, 2020 16:21:35 GMT
Watched this one this morning and feel a bit mixed about it.
On one hand, there's some great banter, Terry in combat and a good performance by Saeed Jaffrey, the go to Asian actor of the 1970s and 80s.
But I can't help thinking this episode hasn't aged that well - particularly in terms of some of the racial stereotyping we see. It's not as bad as another episode in Series 1 though, where Terry mimics the Indian car park attendant in quite a cruel, mocking way. I forget which episode that is, but it is a bit cringeworthy when you see it.
Having said that, it was 1979 and sometimes you've got to go with it. Either way, I did enjoy the Bengal Tiger and I'd rate it as a 4 'good'.
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Post by gustav on Nov 7, 2020 21:04:34 GMT
Just realised I had never voted on this one - marked it as excellent. One of my favourites. I was watching it the other day and struck by some great lines, I meant to write them down. I'll have to leave it until next time. Of course, the race aspect of the episode hasn't aged that well but in terms of its own times it was not that bad.
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Post by barrythebook on Nov 8, 2020 2:32:25 GMT
Just realised I had never voted on this one - marked it as excellent. One of my favourites. I was watching it the other day and struck by some great lines, I meant to write them down. I'll have to leave it until next time. Of course, the race aspect of the episode hasn't aged that well but in terms of its own times it was not that bad. Some of the dialogue and intentions wouldn't be acceptable today but even at the time I don't think it was that derogatory. Depends on the viewer and their own interpretation suppose. |
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Post by nationalpelmet on Nov 21, 2020 20:54:45 GMT
What a line from Arthur when Terry asks, “you buying?” to which he replies. “The first round, NEVER” !!!
Sums him up in a nutshell, brilliant.
Good punch up in the restaurant 🤕
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Post by steve74 on Aug 1, 2021 12:08:42 GMT
Lovely nostalgic feel to 'The Bengal Tiger' those old school newsagents and great shots of an outdoor market are nice to see. This episode starts very strongly with Terry hired to look after Mr Muckerjee's newsagents from being vandalised and the story takes one or two interesting turns (let's just say that Mr Muckerjee's scheming makes Arthur seem like a well behaved boy scout). Some great dialogue and a nice bit of banter between Terry and Stanley Lebor's character Wilson. Enjoy the meetings between Terry and the car owner throughout the episode as well. 4 out of 5.
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Barrel
One Of Your Own
Posts: 130
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Post by Barrel on Dec 20, 2021 0:42:11 GMT
This episode was put together well. Really made the ending worth while considering what was stacked against each other so well towards the end. I agree that the scenes were so raw for their time. I thought I was on The Warriors film set there in some scenes for a second. The episode starts of really strong and then falters big time. Terry having an existential crisis was a good touch as is Arthurs mocking of him but this aspect is glossed over way too quickly. I know this episode is from the late 70s early 80s and the writing of characters from asian or black backgrounds was different to what it is now but the levels of ignorance in the episode are pretty shocking. This is a surprise as Leon Griffiths wrote the wonderful "Play for Today - A Passage to England" which mocks these attitudes of ignorance and even has a Pakistani lead character. In regards to this episode I wonder if the arranged marriage culture/backwards attitude of Mukherjee was heightened and spun in a way for a broader audience to easily understand. I would hazard a guess that Minder would be more accessible to public than say a 90 minute "Play for Today"? Ive just seen this episode on my rewatch...though id caught snippets of it over the years and seem to remember the fight...which makes me think maybe my mum did put me in front of the tv in 1979/80 when this was first televised ! We don't get tired of saying it but as always with Minder a strong supporting cast..Mike Grady , Barry, from Last of the Summer Wine....Ahmed Khalil starred in a very memorable only fools and horses episode of course. All the locations on this one are instantly recognisable to me ,being a born West Londoner and having rented in W14 near Olympia, Id walk these locations streets daily. The climactic fight scene is in the famous Ruby house " Mumtaz" and Iswear it still has the same bleedin wooden front doors from 1979!! The outside hasnt changed at all but than its a listed building.. Going back to the episode Minder on the one hand was very proactive from the first season in showing black cockneys and cockney london born asians like Indira ( Shireen Anwar) and Shamy ( Art Malik) and certainly Shamy should've been a reoccuring character imo....i write this as someone of mixed English and Pakistani heritage who had a Pakistani grandfather who came to London in 1936..my appearence being white I can't say im an authority on race relations of the time.. But I'd say the portrayal of the first generation characters like the dubious Mr Mukherjee and Aslam is fairly accurate in the 1980s ......but its a shame that they were showing a genuine character like Indira in 1979 and than in the first season of the Ray Daley series in 1991 they had a poorly cast character like " Imran," who wasnt a cockney,not much of an actor and didnt really add anything. Minder was always a postcard of London of the era. On first appearence Shireen Anwar looks and sounds 20-21 shocking to hear shes at least 10 years older here.Than again Mike Grady"s character is 33 older than Dennis Waterman here!! The scene where Indira explains to Tel why Barry is such a catch and says he dances just like John Travolta is gold...(Terry) ." Shame he don't look like him " :-) |
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Post by barrythebook on Dec 20, 2021 20:42:34 GMT
On first appearence Shireen Anwar looks and sounds 20-21 shocking to hear shes at least 10 years older here.Than again Mike Grady"s character is 33 older than Dennis Waterman here!! That surprises me, Indira and Kev looked like a teenaged, lovestruck couple who were just starting in life. Usually for this era actors look older than their age not younger. |
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Barrel
One Of Your Own
Posts: 130
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Post by Barrel on Dec 21, 2021 1:05:14 GMT
On first appearence Shireen Anwar looks and sounds 20-21 shocking to hear shes at least 10 years older here.Than again Mike Grady"s character is 33 older than Dennis Waterman here!! That surprises me, Indira and Kev looked like a teenaged, lovestruck couple who were just starting in life. Usually for this era actors look older than their age not younger. Couldnt have put it better myself Barry |
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Post by mozzer33 on Feb 27, 2023 21:18:03 GMT
Just watched this one again. The fight at the end seems either cut or badly edited, there's no way Terry got all those cuts and bruises from what was shown. Apart from that, a great episode.
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Post by barrythebook on Apr 24, 2023 21:52:18 GMT
When Arthur first arrives at Mukarjee's shop, Mukarjee is sweeping broken glass into the curb side and there's wood nailed across the doors giving the impression that the glass doors had been smashed but after countless viewings of this episode, today for the first time i noticed reflections in the glass doors so the glass was obviously still in place.
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Post by jno on Apr 25, 2023 2:42:35 GMT
When Arthur first arrives at Mukarjee's shop, Mukarjee is sweeping broken glass into the curb side and there's wood nailed across the doors giving the impression that the glass doors had been smashed but after countless viewings of this episode, today for the first time i noticed reflections in the glass doors so the glass was obviously still in place. Good spotting baz, I'll have to have another shufti at this one now. |
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Post by hollandpark on Dec 5, 2023 19:41:21 GMT
Arthur uses artificial sweeteners in his tea when he is the café with Terry. I thought this was out of character, but then he has a slimline tonic in his VAT. Noticed this right away as well. and was actually going to post about it Overall I really liked this one, some great comedy with Terry describing Kev He supports QPR Shame he don't dance like him The end fight seems to have been heavily cut from my skybox ITV4 broadcast, Wonder if the same on the Dennis Waterman years dvd I have lined up for crimbo viewing A 5 STAR episode for me |
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Post by ontheslate on Jan 8, 2024 7:11:55 GMT
I didn’t realise that I hadn’t commented on this episode before despite rating it excellent, recently rewatched on my dvd despite bad quality on the dvd, still one of my favourite episodes for various reasons. The nostalgic feel to the shop at the time the local corner shops sold everything usually some cheap toys that were on the shelf for years, usually had the rotating rack for sundries varying from fuses, electrical tape, sewing needle and thread to tiny sachets of shampoo.Stanley Lebor as a hard man always makes me laugh although he plays the hard man well you can’t not think of him as Howard Hughes, the characterisation of the daughter as a modern London girl would have been rare at the time when most Asian characters would have been the older stereotypes,Mike Grady plays the same character in most his known roles but he does play it so well.Add to it a well written and performed episode it makes a great episode.
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